It is well known that large amounts of foreign material, including dust, are present in flocculate material. When a drawframe is operated to admix slivers of such flocculate material so that a single homogeneous sliver is produced for subsequent processing into twisted yarn, large amounts of dust and fibers are liberated from the sliver at each change of direction along its path of travel on the drawframe. The dust and fibers liberated into the atmosphere constitute a serious health hazard for machine operators and other persons working in the vicinity and can be linked directly to lung disorders and other respiratory problems.
Various extracting and collecting systems have been devised for removal of particulate and fibrous materials from the ambient air around operating textile equipment. These various removal means generally have included a vacuum source with various types of nozzles, pneumatic heads and the like being devised to collect the airborne materials into the system for disposal.
Even with the various prior art, dust and fiber collecting means, persons spending any appreciable time in the mill will have dust and lint on their clothes, in their hair, etc. In other words, even with the prior art dust and fiber collection systems in place and in operation, observable amounts of such dust and fibers escape into the ambient atmosphere and float throughout the open areas of the facility.